In mathematics, especially group theory, the centralizer (also called commutant) of a subset S in a group G is the set of elements of G that commute with every element of S, or equivalently, the set of elements such that conjugation by leaves each element of S fixed. The normalizer of S in G is the set of elements of G that satisfy the weaker condition of leaving the set fixed under conjugation. The centralizer and normalizer of S are subgroups of G. Many techniques in group theory are based on studying the centralizers and normalizers of suitable subsets S.
Suitably formulated, the definitions also apply to semigroups.